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GNOME 3.x Will Bring Back Some GNOME 2 Features

Phoronix: GNOME 3.x Will Bring Back Some GNOME 2 Features

Earlier this month it was decided that GNOME 3.8 would get rid of the GNOME Shell Fallback mode used for running the desktop environment in a way similar to the GNOME 2 "classic" environment while also not requiring any 3D GPU/driver configuration. Earlier today there was basically a call for forking the GNOME Classic/Fallback code so it could live on, but now it's been announced that some of the user-interface/experience elements will be brought to the GNOME 3.x world in a manner that's more easy for users to optionally enable...

We'll see how this works out, but this may end up being a better option for me than MATE. I'm still using a vintage Linux Mint release with Gnome 2.32, and am holding off on upgrading until there's an obvious "best choice" for how to retain my beloved interface.

They screw up badly calling names those who don't like their crazy decisions and after a long while they give in partially while keeping an arrogant face.

I'm not exactly sure if I'd call abandoning the fallback mode 'giving in to those who don't like our crazy decisions'. I think the extension story is important to keep in mind regardless of which extensions might be prioritized, since a lack of updated extensions has been a huge issue of late.

I don't see a lot of arrogance, but I do see a lot of people ostracizing the designers. I just wish the discussion didn't have to wind up so antagonistic. If anyone in particular has offended you, I'm sorry, but that's not the intention of GNOME in the slightest. It may be a sign that we need to take the social aspect of our community a bit more seriously if we're sending that kind of message.

ummm... lolwut? Their new window decorator doesn't have min / max buttons? how the hell do you min / max a window?

Assuming that you're actually asking this question, you can maximize a window more easily by dragging it to the window edge you would like it to fill (top to fill the whole screen), or if your screen is especially large, just double-click on any portion of the titlebar. This is clearly much easier than aiming for a square button on the edge of a window, but perhaps not as discoverable as some would like.

So far as minimizing goes, GNOME is trying to avoid the behavior of hiding applications in an abstracted list. It's not a very natural behavior, and it may only seem so because most of us have been using task lists for a very long time. They don't represent much, and they are usually small targets for the mouse.

If you end up with more windows on the screen than you can manage, you can easily begin categorizing them in the overview. I understand that sometimes you don't always have a clear idea of how to group tasks, so a trick I like to use is middle-clicking the titlebar to send the window I've been looking at back.

To be clear, while the overview is a good, natural way to manage tasks, the designers are aware of the issues with certain workflows and they're still trying to come up with better solutions to those problems.

Aside from that, GNOME tries to encourage you to focus on one task at a time, as reduced distractions are better for your productivity. Of course, if you're not working on anything that may just mean helping you focus better on having fun.

Not to mention that mutter does have minimize and maximize, they just arent enabled by default.

This is not a bad idea. The problem with extensions is that they are highly prone to breaking with each update, so having the GNOME guys test the more useful ones before release and package them nicely will make them a bit less of a hack than they currently are.

Aside from that, GNOME tries to encourage you to focus on one task at a time, as reduced distractions are better for your productivity.

I'm gonna do my best not to swear, as this really infuriates me.

My task as a programmer involves using my Linux workstation and 30" LCD to manage my source code editor (Eclipse), a Firefox window full of tabs for the pages for the site I'm working on editing the code for, likely also Chrome and Opera windows for the same, another browser window full of tabs containing the various reference documentation I need along with Google search results, etc, an Open Office window containing the project requirements document describing the features I'm working on, a gedit window for storing, editing, and copy/pasting code snippets and other stuff I need to remember, and a Pidgin window to my coworker who might be helping me test this stuff.

The only thing the new Gnome Shell encourages - is making my hand hurt from all the extra mousing and clicking I need to do.

I have been surviving inside fallback mode, but, sorry, I think this is too little too late, and I'm going to go find a shell written by people who use their computer as more than a "one window at a time" iPad-like toy.